The present invention relates generally to various specialty apparatus for painting, and more particularly, to an apparatus for precisely controlling the application of paint to edges, corners, or like margins of painted surfaces. In particular, the apparatus uses one, and in some cases, two or more separate features in order to insure that a painted edge formed by using the device will lie along a very exact locus so as to provide a high quality appearance in the finish painted surface. The invention also relates to specialty trays or pans for paint applicators.
One appliance of the invention is particularly adapted for use with so-called thixotropic paints of the type normally applied by roller as well as brush, most or all of such paints being of the emulsion or water dilutable type.
In the past, it has been customary, when painting interior and exterior surfaces, such as walls and ceilings, to apply the major portion of the surface covering using a paint roller. Whether or not a roller is used on the major parts of the wall surface, it is almost always desirable to carry out the edging process as precisely and quickly as possible in order to impart a high quality appearance to the finished room, wall panel or the like. As those familiar with painting are aware, the process of edging or "blocking out" an area such as an interior room, to be painted, often requires much more care and effort than painting the larger areas of the room. "Blocking out" consists of forming a band of paint around all the outer margins of a room, such as where a wall meets a ceiling, where a wall or ceiling meets trim, such as door and window trim, wainscoting or the like. The trim edge of this band of paint must be precisely formed. As used herein, "trim edge" means a hard edge, to one side of which is a full layer of paint, with none on the other side. A "feather edge" occurs on the opposite side of the band of paint; as used here, "feather edge" means a blended marginal area at which the contrast between painted and unpainted areas is slight and the separation between painted and unpainted areas is an irregular and feather-like locus rather than a straight, distinct line. If the hard or trim edge portion to be painted is at the junction of adjacent walls, or a wall and a ceiling, a wavy or meandering edge will create a low quality appearance. If the area to be painted includes an edge or margin bounded by wood or other trim, a poorly applied edge will result in spattering or coating the trim with paint, or leaving unsightly gaps between the trim and the paint.
One of the problems with prior art pads is that, where their manipulation requires excess time to be taken during the "blocking out" operation, the band of paint takes on an initial set or cure, leaving a sharp, visible edge where the blocked out areas terminate at an unpainted area. Therefore, when the remainder of the area is painted with a brush or roller, this line is visible upon close inspection, and this causes the job to take on an overall appearance of diminished or compromised quality.
Until the present time, such edging has been carried out to a minor extent by brushes, usually a very fine tip or point brush, and to a much greater extent by specially designed edger apparatus. Ordinarily, these are in the form of a simple, rectangular block of paint-absorbent material carried on a rigid backing and including a pair of spaced apart contact points such as feet or rollers that are intended to roll or rub along the edge of an adjacent surface. Such edging devices are inexpensive and in common use, but they suffer from several drawbacks.
The first of these is that, ordinarily, the rollers or the like which are intended to engage an adjacent surface are of small diameter and sometimes difficult to roll. There is rarely provided a satisfactory adjustment system that permits the edge portion of the pad to be precisely positioned relative to the outer diameter of the rollers. No such system is known to applicant wherein the edge location can be adjusted instantaneously or "on the fly" in the use of the device. Where minor irregularities exist in the adjacent surface, it is possible for the wheels of prior art devices to follow the surface to an excessive extent, thereby rocking and creating unsightly, wavy margins resulting from the shape of the surface engaged by the wheels that locate the pad.
It is also common for known paint edgers to include wheels or rollers having a relatively large contact surface and which are therefore susceptible to transferring paint to an adjoining surface used as a guide if the wheels themselves become contaminated with paint when the edger is dipped in the paint supply vessel. Such contact, while undesirable, is often almost inevitable in view of the manner in which most prior art devices are constructed and arranged. Specifically, the guide rollers form a part of a frame which is positioned almost immediately adjacent the pad, creating a substantial risk of paint pickup.
Prior paint edgers in use usually include a fixed relation between the pad location and that of the wheels. Therefore, if this location is adjustable between uses, when the desired appearance is not created, the entire apparatus must be removed and readjusted before another pass can be made to provide a more precise location of the edge area.
The construction and arrangement of prior art application pads was such that there were many areas for improvement. For example, many of the pads lack substantial paint capacity, and were arranged such that regardless of the capacity, there was no effective mechanism for transferring paint from a remote portion of the pad surface to the edge where the paint was desired to be applied.
In other application arrangements and systems, the paint application pad often lacked thicknesses and proper contour and in some cases, had insufficient stiffness adjacent its edge to permit a fine line, hard-edge type application of paint to the desired area along a carefully controlled line while creating a feather edge in a spaced apart area.
Still further, many if not all prior art pads suffered from difficulty when it was attempted to fill them with paint, either by reason of the pad construction or by reason of the tray or other paint receptacle with which the pad was required to cooperate during the paint pickup operation.
In addition to the difficulties with prior art paint edgers, paint trays or holders of various configurations have also suffered from drawbacks which has compromised their ability to be used in the most effective way with paint applicators such as edgers and rollers. For example, dipping prior art paint edgers into an open tray has been difficult because of the thin cross section of the paint receiving pad and the need to position the pad evenly and precisely within the tray or other receptacle.
Paint trays generally, whether of the type adapted to receive a roller or to be used in filling an edging device, do not successfully confine the paint against surging or slashing, and yet require the roller to be squeezed against the flat surface to prevent overloading of the roller with fresh paint. Ordinary paint trays are also susceptible to accidental spillage, either by reason of being kicked or bumped or in use, or by being placed on an unduly slanted surface or the like.
An ideal paint tray would have a large capacity but not be susceptible to ready spillage, and furthermore, would facilitate loading of any painting device without difficulty. Still further, an ideal paint tray or receptacle would be capable of easy cleanup after use to facilitate reuse. Yet another ideal paint tray would assist in the uniform application of paint to a roller or other applicator, regardless of the texture or makeup of such roller, pad, or other applicator.
A further ideal paint tray would be one which would possess a number, such as two or three, of removable and replaceable foam inserts, one for each type of paint being used, with or without an impermeable cover.
A still further ideal paint tray would be one which would include a cover for the entire assembly, whereby a roller could be left in the paint tray after use and would not dry out or require cleaning for an extended time.
Yet another ideal paint tray would be one in which the paint tray was relatively permanent but which included an insert for the tray. Optionally, this insert could have a foam cover bonded thereto.
Still another ideal paint tray would include a piece of foam simply adhered to a portion of the bottom wall thereof, or having such a piece of foam bonded to a portion of the bottom wall of a tray insert, whereby the tray could be made to serve any number of times.
In view of the foregoing and other drawbacks of existing paint edgers, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved paint edger.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved tray or receptacle for retaining paint and applying it to rollers, pads or other applicators.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a paint pad that has a contoured or dished center section as well as an outer margin portion formed in part by a contoured backer with a sharp edge or other contoured edge designed to contact or approach a reference surface in a desired manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus wherein the application pad is of substantially increased size and capacity relative to similar prior art pads.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a paint receptacle for use with an edger, which receptacle can effectively contain a larger supply of paint than prior art devices and yet permit the paint to be applied in a simple and reliable manner, such apparatus comprising a receptacle and a porous foam insert providing several advantages in use.
A further object of the invention is to provide a paint edger wherein the paint pad is mounted for rotation about an adjustably positionable axis.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a paint edging apparatus wherein a rotary edge locating disc may optionally include spurs or points rather than a flat surface for contacting the wall or like adjacent surface to locate the disc.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an edging apparatus that includes a handle including an exterior gripping surface, a rotary locating disc, and an application pad of circular outline, and having a desired cross-sectional body contour and a relatively stiff but resilient backing element.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved edger wherein a pair of spindles are eccentrically arranged and axially offset from each other to permit the user to position the pad edge with any desired degree of proximity to an adjacent surface or other guide.
Another object of the invention is to provide a paint edger accessory which includes a handle with a fixed backing plate, a rotary locating disc having an outer surface intended for contact with a guide surface and a intermediate, radially resilient section, whereby radial force applied to the handle will cause the pad to more closely approach or depart from the guide surface.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a paint edger having a contoured pad with a sharp-edged backing or stiffener that includes a contour providing an edge area of substantially reduced cross-section and wherein the paint pad includes a dished or bowed appearance when viewed in cross-section as to permit the apparatus to be tilted relative to its rotary axis for greater user control and creation of a strip of paint having a soft or feather edge along one side and a hard edge on the opposite side.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for applying paint to an edge, such apparatus being able to be manufactured at low cost and providing a high degree of accuracy and reliability in use.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a paint edging apparatus wherein the operating handle may be rotated so as to position the edge locating disc a desired but variable distance from an adjacent guide surface.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a paint edger or like apparatus having a novel combination of features including a radially flexible locating disc that is optionally usable in combination with an eccentric spindle for a locating disc whereby the associated paint pad may be held in a desired position relative to a base line depending on the force applied by the user.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a paint edger wherein the rotary locating disc includes an outer periphery with spurs or points, a center opening, and a plurality of spring fingers formed between spiral grooves to permit the locating disc to flex radially in response to an applied pressure.
A further object of the invention is to provide a paint pad made from two or more separate materials laminated together so as to facilitate paint retention as well as the ability to control application of paint along a desired locus, particularly at the feather edge of the pad.
Another object of the invention is to provide an edger apparatus with a rotary paint pad having a plurality of wells or like cylindrical openings to increase the capacity of the pad.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a combination rotary pad or roller and an improved paint pickup or transfer dish adapted to apply paint to the pad or roller with greater ease and uniformity.
Another object of the invention is to provide a paint tray with a variety of foam-type pads.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a paint tray with an impermeable cover, and having a small opening sized so as to allow the shank portion of a roller to fit therethrough, either alone or in combination with one or more removable pads for the top thereof.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such a tray and pad arrangement that would be easily attachable to and removable from the tray.
A further object of the invention is to provide a foam pad that is capable of attachment to a tray by reason of including at least two, and preferably four, sides with an embedded or otherwise attached elastic band around the pad to facilitate attachment thereof to the paint tray.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a tray liner assembly including a liner portion and a pad bonded thereto around the outer margins of the tray, whereby the tray and insert and the foam pad may be discarded after use without affecting the tray.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a paint tray or a paint tray liner having a foam pad adhered to a portion of the bottom surface thereof in order to improve rollout and paint pickup by reason of engagement between the pad and the roller.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved in practice by providing a paint edger apparatus including a handle assembly with a fixed backing plate, and a pair of spindles, one for a locating disc and the other for a rotary paint pad, and a paint pad having a contoured cross-section and a pad stiffener element, and with the locating disc including helical fingers defined by arcuate slots forming an intermediate section to provide radial resiliency in use such that the user may approach a desired edge line to any desired degree.
The objects of the invention are also achieved by providing an edging pad of a particular construction including desired, sharp-edged outer margin and a composite body constructed from foam components of different porosities.
The invention also achieves its objects by providing an edger as just described that further includes an eccentric or offset mounting of the pad spindle relative to the locating disc spindle, and by providing a paint tray having various advantages in use. Still further, the objects are achieved by providing a tray of improved construction that is useful with applicators of various types, such as pads or rollers.
The manner in which the foregoing and other objects and advantages are achieved in practice will become more clearly apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention set forth by way of example and shown in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout.